Ben Greenfield’s Weekly Roundup: September 11

Welcome to Ben Greenfield’s Weekly Roundup!

In this weekly post, I share with you my most interesting discoveries of the week, including the latest news on the fronts of fitness, nutrition, health, wellness, biohacking, and anti-aging research. I also recap my upcoming events and special announcements so you can keep up with opportunities to learn, giveaways, discounts, and more!

New Discoveries

Think You Need More Cardio for a Healthy Heart? New Research Says This Is Enough (150 Minutes or 600?) 🫀

In the past, I’ve talked about researcher James O’Keefe (including in this podcast episode), who has shown that the “Goldilocks zone” of exercise really doesn’t need to be any more than about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.

O’Keefe has also raised concerns about a potential “danger zone” with chronic vigorous exercise above four to five hours per week (roughly 240–300+ minutes of heart-pounding effort), especially when sustained over many years. In long-term endurance athletes, these high exercise volumes have been linked to concerns like atrial fibrillation, myocardial fibrosis, and coronary artery calcification.

But a new British Journal of Sports Medicine study found that the standard 150-minute-per-week guideline was associated with only modest cardiovascular protection, about an 8–9% lower risk, while roughly 560–610 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with more than a 30% lower risk.

So does this totally contradict what O’Keefe is saying? Not really.

The new study looked at combined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, not vigorous exercise alone. Someone could accumulate 600 minutes of exercise mostly through walking and other moderate activity and never come close to O’Keefe’s proposed ceiling for chronic vigorous exercise.

The studies are also looking at somewhat different outcomes. The new study tracked cardiovascular events—including atrial fibrillation, heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke—using health records. But it didn’t directly assess some of the structural changes O’Keefe has raised concerns about in high-volume endurance athletes.

My final take? Do what has been shown to provide a solid baseline for fitness.

Get around 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise), and strength train regularly. Then, accumulate a crapload of walking and other low-to-moderate-intensity movements throughout the day.

If you want me to write out an exercise program for you, you can visit Triumph Coaching to set up a free call.

Interested in learning more about how much exercise you really need and strategies for improving cardiovascular health, fitness, and longevity? Check out some of my other exercise and training resources below:

• Big Things I’ve Changed My Mind About: Keto, Carnivore, Cryotherapy, Statins, THC, Sleep Hygiene, Minimal Effective Dose Of Exercise & More!
• How to Banish Frustrating Fitness “Plateaus” with Science-Backed MINIMUM Effective Dose Exercise (+ the *Ultimate* Blueprint for a Boundless Body).
• Biohacking Endurance, Running On LSD, Crazy Smart Drugs, Burning Massive Amounts Of Fat Vs. Carbs & Much More With Ultrarunner Anthony Kunkel.
• A Biohacking Clinic Straight From The Deck Of Star Trek, The Minimum Effective Dose Of Exercise, How Ben Greenfield Fasts, Increasing Mitochondrial Density & Much More!
• The 19 Best Full-Body Workouts Ben Greenfield Uses For His Year-Round Exercise Routine.
• The Most Mind-Blowing Information On Heart Disease You’ll Ever Hear: Understanding The Heart (Uncommon Insights Into Our Most Commonly Diseased Organ) — Part 1 With Dr. Stephen Hussey.

Younger Skin, Boundless Energy & Unbeatable Sleep Scores: My Upgraded End-of-Summer Protocol Is HERE ⚡💤

Summer has a way of writing checks your recovery can’t cash.

Late nights, hot days, travel, and nonstop training add up, and by September, you may be feeling it.

These are the products I’ve been using to close out summer strong, from daily nutrition and ketones to hydration, skincare, sleep, and recovery. Everything here is something I personally use and have vetted for its science and effectiveness.

Inside my end-of-summer protocol, you’ll find:

• IM8 Daily Ultimate Essentials PRO — 90+ nutrients in one daily drink, replacing a pile of separate supplements.
• Tecton Ketones — My pre-sauna and cold-plunge ketone shot for clean energy and mental clarity.
• Formula IQ CopperIQ Serum — Copper peptides + hyaluronic acid to support hydrated, resilient, youthful-looking skin.
• BIOptimizers — My go-to supplements for sleep, digestion, stress, and metabolic support.
• LMNT Iced Tea — Electrolytes to replenish sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
• Young Goose — Science-driven skincare designed to support cellular repair, energy, and healthy aging.
• LIFE Market Peptides — Physician-reviewed peptide options for metabolic health, recovery, skin, hormone support, and more.

I’ve also pulled together discounts and special offers to help you try them for less. If you want to head into fall sharper, stronger, and better rested, you can start here.

Boundless Hits Streaming September 22nd + How to Pre-Order the Film Now 🎬

The Boundless Live tour has allowed me to share Boundless: The Man Who Became Human on the big screen alongside my family. Now, the film is almost available to everyone at home.

You can now pre-order Boundless on Apple TV (and on Prime Video soon!), with the full streaming release taking place on September 22nd.

Boundless isn’t just a typical film about biohacking, longevity, or pushing the limits of human performance. It’s about what I discovered after years of doing exactly that, and why faith, family, relationships, purpose, and ultimately the soul became far more important than another biomarker or optimization hack.

If you missed the live world premiere, you don’t have to wait for it to come back around. You can pre-order it here on Apple TV (with Prime Video coming soon!).

Every pre-order between now and September 22nd helps push Boundless into the trending titles the moment it launches.

So if you weren’t able to join us for one of the live screenings, or you’ve been waiting to watch the film at home, you can pre-order Boundless now here.

This Week in Health & Performance: What the Latest Research Says

💊💰 How Cozy Can the Relationship Between Big Pharma, Doctors & Regulators Get? A disturbing deep dive from Anthony Colpo revisits allegations from former Eli Lilly executive John Virapen, who claimed pharmaceutical marketing during his career included lavish gifts, payments to influential physicians, and even bribery aimed at influencing drug approval. It’s an eye-opening insider account of the potential conflicts between drug companies, doctors, researchers, and regulators (read the full article here).

🥩🏋️ Cutting Calories? Here’s How to Protect Your Muscle & Metabolism: A 25% calorie deficit can put lean mass and resting metabolism at risk, but new research found that combining resistance training with high protein (around 1 gram per pound), creatine, caffeine, and omega-3s can significantly reduce those downsides. This is another reminder that successful fat loss isn’t just about eating less, but also about how you approach the deficit. (full study here).

⏰💪 Bulking? Intermittent Fasting May Help Limit Fat Gain: In a 12-week trial, resistance-trained adults following a 16:8 eating schedule gained similar amounts of muscle and strength but significantly less fat than those eating throughout the day. One catch: the fasting group also consumed fewer calories than intended, which likely helps explain some of the difference (full study here).

🧠⚡ Mentally Fried? Ketones May Help Keep Your Brain Online: In a randomized trial, exogenous ketones helped prevent the drop in cognitive performance caused by mental fatigue, while combining ketones with caffeine produced even greater benefits for attention and cognitive flexibility. This wasn’t a sleep-deprivation study, but anecdotally, I’ve found ketones particularly helpful when I’m running short on sleep (full study here).

Key Takeaway: Whether you’re cutting, bulking, or trying to stay mentally sharp, the details can make all the difference: protein and resistance training can help preserve muscle during a deficit, a shorter eating window might help control fat gain during a bulk, and ketones may give your brain an edge when mental fatigue sets in.

Want to dive deeper? Click the links above to explore the research, and click here to follow me on X for all the latest health and performance news hot off the press!

Product Of The Week

::: Still Taking Just Magnesium Glycinate? Upgrade to 7 Forms + Save 15% :::

If you already take magnesium, there’s a good chance your bottle says magnesium glycinate, and for good reason. 

It’s well absorbed, generally easy on the gut, and a popular choice for winding down at night. I use it, too. But if it’s the only magnesium you take, you’re essentially covering one job with one tool.

Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions throughout your muscles, heart, brain, mitochondria, and beyond. And different forms have different properties, absorption profiles, and potential benefits.

So rather than relying on a single form, I prefer broader coverage. For a while, that meant juggling separate bottles and dosing schedules, and inevitably running out of one before the others.

That’s one reason I now use BiOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough.

Instead of making you choose one form, it combines seven: glycinate, citrate, taurate, chelate, orotate, malate, and Sucrosomial magnesium. You also get 500 milligrams of elemental magnesium per serving, plus vitamin B6 and manganese as supporting cofactors.

So take a look at the magnesium you’re using. If it contains only glycinate, or one or two forms, it may be time to upgrade.

You can use code BEN15 to save 15% on Magnesium Breakthrough.

I am an affiliate for BiOptimizers and earn a commission on purchases made through my link. I only recommend what I use myself. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Podcasts I Recorded This Week:

A Memory & Learning Expert Reveals His Secrets To Training Your Brain & MASTERING Your Mind, With Jim Kwik

From 15 Bathroom Trips A Day To A Clean Gut: Fixing Poop Issues NATURALLY With Josh Dech